We know Al hires offensive-minded guys, period. We know he usually alternates between brainy coordinator-types and blue-collar line coaches. So, after Cable, Davis is due for a brainy coordinator.

We also know that Davis does things when he is good and ready, and then maybe waits three or four days to get around to telling us.

It should be no surprise that Al made no move on Cable last week (when other teams did their firings), or Monday (when many expected it, possibly including Cable) or Tuesday.

What's the rush? It's not like Al's in a panic about an 11-loss season. The Raiders do that every year!

But even Davis has to realize he isn't hiring Jon Gruden or Nick Saban, doesn't want Bill Cowher and could never attract a top NFL assistant such as Jason Garrett or Brian Schottenheimer.

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Let's run through Al's realistic options at this point "...

Best-case scenario: Mariucci, who wants to get back into coaching after his Detroit debacle and spending too much time sitting next to Deion Sanders on the NFL Network set.

For a while Tuesday, it looked as if USC was about to hire Mooch. But stunningly, Lane Kiffin swooped in from Tennessee to grab the Los Angeles mega-job.

Believe me, nobody is more startled by this development than Al, who loves the USC program and, to put it mildly, does not love Kiffin.

But now Mariucci is without a team. Gee, is there one out there?

Mariucci has a good history with skittery quarterbacks, so Al might be able to envision a solid Mooch-JaMarcus Russell pairing; plus, with his 49ers background, Mariucci could sell some tickets.

Flatly, Mariucci might be the only potential game-changer available to Al right now.

Problem: What if Mariucci plays hard to get? Going after Mariucci could cost Al money and pride, and he can be stingy with both when it involves coaching hires.

Middle-case scenario: Find a college coordinator who can bond with Russell; the list might start with Stanford's David Shaw (if Al wants to go young) or the Miami Hurricanes' Mark Whipple (if he wants to go with experience).

Shaw, who has tutored Andrew Luck, was an offensive assistant with the Raiders from 1998-2000, and his father, Willie, was Gruden's first defensive coordinator in Oakland.

Whipple was a positions coach with the Steelers and a head coach at UMass and Brown, and he has done nice work with Miami quarterback Jacory Harris.

Problem: This is the model Davis used when he hired Kiffin and accidentally launched Kiffin's wild coaching career.